Chestnut Hill Hospital recently announced its plan to close their maternity department on November 4th, bringing the number of Philadelphia area maternity facilities to close in the last ten years to 15. In every case, citing high malpractice insurance and low reimbursement rates, unprofitability of the maternity ‘line’ was the reason given. According to the…
Category: Features
Green City Teachers Grow Greens
by •
PHS Press Release – The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) will lead more than 25 teachers in creating a school garden as part of its Green City Teachers program on Wednesday, July 9th at Hackett School, 2161 E. York Street. The event will start at 10AM. Now in its second year and made possible with funding…
GAO to Review Deepening Again
by •
Riverkeeper Press Release – Washington, D.C.- In response to a request by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D, NJ) the Government Accountability Office has agreed to conduct an updated review of the Army Corps’ proposed Delaware River Deepening project. In a letter to Senator Lautenberg dated May 15, 2008 the GAO wrote, “We received your recent letter…
Love Us Back
by •
by Nathaniel Popkin A month ago the Septa board voted to kill the system. Well not exactly a bullet to the heart. More like the way the American military likes to take care of the “world’s most dangerous terrorists:” the long, slow death by torture. Capital funds will be used to operate the system. That…
The Soccer Pitch
by •
by Brion Shreffler – Politicians and the lords of the PA Gaming Control Board say that they want to put something on the blighted and underdeveloped Delaware Riverfront. They want something to spur economic growth and to create copious jobs within the city of Philadelphia. Why not soccer? Why not finally give the people of…
Our Water: An Ancient Idea
by •
by Evan Belser – The people of Philadelphia must claim what should rightfully be in their control: our riverfronts. Consider the following two excerpts: “By the laws of nature, the following are common to all mankind- the air, running water, the sea, and consequently the shores of the sea. No one, threrefore, is forbidden to…
Talking Transit with Marc Stier
by •
With SEPTA going through yet another funding crisis, the future of transit is once again a hot topic. As cities look forward to find solutions to the problems of tomorrow- increased populations, the effects of high carbon emissions, and rising fuel costs- transit issues become more important. From everything to figuring out the best way…
The Energy Coop
by •
Since facing An Inconvenient Truth about the perils of carbon emissions, many people are more interested to find ways they can help the effort to reduce global warming, foster greater energy efficiencies and promote cleaner air. Energy conservation is still the most effective first step people can take- purchasing Energy Star products and compact fluorescent lightbulbs,…
The People’s Waterfront
by •
by Caryn Hunt “What if?” asks native Philadelphian and PennPraxis executive director Harris Steinberg. What if Philadelphia could transform itself into a truly world-class city? What if we created “one of the greatest boulevards in the world”? What if that plan was for a “public realm along the waterfront that is so Philadelphian that all…
End Homelessness in Philadelphia
by •
At a forum last week on homelessness, the audience was presented with a frightening fact: the rate of homelessness is rising in Philadelphia. This is happening just at the time of greatest prosperity for many neighborhoods, and in fact, gentrification and higher property taxes have forced people who used to be able to afford their…
